Flue-cleaner



M. G. COOK. PLUE CLEANER.

WITNEESEE Wy. @www UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

MOSES G. COOK, OE ASHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE H. ALLEN,OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLU E-C LEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,084, dated May 12,1896.

Application filed January 15, 1895. Serial No. 534,960. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MOSES G. COOK, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Ashfield, in the county of Franklin land State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvenient inElue-Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingapart of this specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention is animprovement upon that described in my application forLetters Patent of the United States, filed July 30, 18S-l, Serial No.518,933; and it relates to various features of construction wherebyclearance is provided the scraping-plates, whereby they are properlysupported in action, whereby they are made easily removable, and wherebyalso they are caused to readily enter the fines. The liuc-cleaner ofsaid application has two heads, each conical in form or having conicalribs extending from two end plates, between which the scraping-platesare arranged, the end plates of the heads and scraping-plates beingplaced so closely together that there is no provision for aself-clearance of the plates and heads in use. My said cleaner also hadcleaner-plates which could not be removed from the cleaner withoutdetaching one of the heads.

By my present construction I form between the heads a space ofsufficient width to permit the scraping-plates held between them to havelongitudinal movement or freedom, whereby they may be separated fromeach other, and whereby also the escape of the soot, scale, ttc., canreadily take place, so that they move or respond to the action of thesprings more readily and are not clogged or gummed up. This clearanceeifect is increased by the removal of the end plates of the head, thusproviding longitudinal escapepassages from the plates and the spacebetween them in both directions.

To support the plates, I have shown one of the heads as provided withshort teats or lugs of a sufficient length to act as abutments uponwhich the plates near theirouter edges may rest as they are being pushedthrough a flue or tube, and to provide for the removal of the scrapingplates without removing either of the heads I have formed in each a longrecess, through the inner end of which the cleaner-rod extends, andwhich extending to the end of the plate permits it to be drawn laterallyfrom the rod by an outward movement, which also removes itsholding-spring from its holders at each end. I have also shown theplates as provided with guides upon their outer edges, whereby they mayenter more readily into a flue, the guides being inclined from the plateedge inwardly upon one or both sides of the plate. I have also shown oneof the heads as having ribs arranged parallel with each other to provideside supports for the flat springs, whatever the position of each springmay be in the recess between them.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a nue-cleaner havingthe features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal sectionthereof upon the dotted line of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a view in transversesection upon the dotted line a; vof Fig. l. Fig. et is a view intransverse section upon the dotted line y y of Eig. l. Eig. 5 is a viewin perspective, and Fig. 6 is a view in plan, of one of thescrapingplates removed or detached.

In the drawings, A is the rod which supports the heads and which isattachable to the operating-rod in any usual way. B B are the headscarried by this rod. They are in the shape of sleeves b, havingradiating inclined ribs b', and they are arranged upon the rod to opposeeach other and provide between them a wide recess C. The ribs formpassages h2 to this recess.

The scraping-plates D are between the two heads in the space C. Thereare preferably three plates, and they are arranged so that their sideedges overlap and their outer edges form a continuous scraper. They eachhave the wide scraping edge or section d, the narrower or tail sectiond', the spring-hole d2, and the recess cl3. Bow-springs E extend throughthe holes cl2, one for each scrapingplate, and their ends are held bythe end cup e and the inner cup e', which is adjustable on the rod A bymeans of an adjusting-nut, so that the bow, and consequently the tensionof the bow-springs, maybe varied at will. By

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making the tail of each plate with the recess d3 it is made removablefrom the cleaner by being drawn horizontally from it, the bowsprin gyielding readily to permit it to be thus disengaged. This insures thequick and ready removal and restoral of one or all the plates withoutremoving or disturbing the heads, a very considerable advantage.

The head B has teats or supports b3, which support two of the plates, itbeing understood that the plates are out of line with each other andthat only one is supported directly upon the ends of the ribs, the othertwo being supported, respectively, by the plate below and by these teatsor projections, the teats for the intermediate plate of course beingshorter than those for the outer one. Each plate also has theentering-guide F, which is in the shape of a cross-arm or extension atthe outer end of each scraping-plate and having inclined or taperingedges f. It may extend upon one or both sides of the plate, and beinginclined inwardly it comes in contact with the corner of the liue inadvance of the plate and serves to close the plate automatically and thesides of the flue as it is entering. The ribs b4 of the head B/ arearranged in pairs and parallel with each other to provide aspring-holding space b5 of the same width throughout and of the width ofthe bowsprings, so that they act to provide a lateral support for thesprings close to the plates.

In Fig. 5 I have represented the inner of the three plates as having thepin g extending from its surface, which acts in conjunction with theteats of the ribs in supporting the outermost of the three plates.

It will be seen that the scraping plates or blades are held in positiononly by the rod A and springs E, and that they are free to move back andforth between the heads, and that the space between the heads provides aclearance recess which opens laterally outwardly and also into passagesbetween the ribs, and that this construction allows the scraping platesor blades to have free and loose action, preventing them from becomingclogged in action by the deposits of the tube and enables such depositsto be readily shaken, rapped out, or easily removed by any suitableimplement.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United Statesl. The flue-cleaner having thescrapingblades D, each of which has a backward-extending tongue or tailprovided with the openended recess d3, whereby the plate may besupported by the rodwhen in position and may be withdrawn laterally fromthe rod, as and for the purposes described.

2. In aflue-cleaner in combination with the heads B, B and the rod towhichthey are secured, the independent scraper-plates D, arrangedbetween the heads and adapted to be withdrawn laterally therefromsprings bearing against said scraper-plates to normally force the sameoutward from between the heads and a centering extension F carried atthe outer edge of each plate, as and for the purpose described.

3. A flue-cleaner having the heads B, B' conical in shape and fastenedto a rod in opposed relation to each other to provide arelatively widerecess or clearancespace between them, and adapted to alternately act asthe support for a number of independent, loosely held,overlappingscraper-plates E contained in said recess, the springs for actuating theplates, as specified, and plate-supporting teats or pins carried by theinner head and adapted to sustain overlying sections of the said platesnear their outer edge during the forward thrust of the cleaner, as andfor the purpose described.

4L. A flue-cleaner having the ribbed conical heads B, B' arranged inopposite relation to each other and fastened to a central rod in amanner to provide a relatively wide recess, the loose scraper-platesarranged within said recess between the heads, and each provided withabackward-extending tongue or tail provided with an open-ended recesscl3 whereby the plates may be supported by the rod when in position, andwithdrawn laterally from the rod when desired, substantially asdescribed.

5. Aflue-cleaner having conical heads B, B fastened to a rod in opposedrelation to each other to provide a relatively wide recess orclearance-space between them, and a number of independent, loosely held,overlapping scraper-plates E contained in said recess and movablelongitudinally therein from one head to the other for the purposesindicated, and one of which plates bears a pin or support for sustainingan overlying section of another of said plates when opposed to athrusting action, as and for l[he purposes specied.

MOSES G. COOK. lVitnesses F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DoLAN.

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